College Park High's baseball team won its first round playoff game, hanging on to defeat Maria Carrillo, 5-3, in a boisterous game played before a large crowd at the Falcons' field.
Freshman pitcher Joe DeMers threw a six-hit complete game in the NCS Division II game against the visiting Santa Rosa high school. DeMers also drove in one of the Falcons' run with an RBI single.
College Park travels to fourth-seeded Newark Memorial High for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.
The Falcons got off to a quick start in the game.
After Maria Carrillo failed to score in the top of the first inning, College Park scored two runs in the bottom of the frame with the help of two walks, an error and a wild pitch.
Neither team scored in the second inning and the Pumas went down in order in the top of the third. College Park added another run in the bottom of the frame.
Maria Carrillo got a runner to third in the top of the fourth but could not bring him home. College Park failed to score in its half of the inning.
The Pumas were shut out again in the top of the fifth. The Falcons added another run on the single by DeMers.
Maria Carrillo went down one, two, three in the top of the sixth.
College Park added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI groundout by pinch hitter Ryan Reeder.
Maria Carrillo made things interesting in the top of the seventh. They scored three runs and had runners at second and third with two outs. However, DeMers struck out the final batter with a sharp curveball.
The Falcons squad is ranked fifth in the NCS Division II tournament. Maria Carrillo High is ranked 13th.
Maria Carrillo finished the regular season winning seven of their last eight regular season games. The Pumas finish their season with an 18-9 record.
College Park has won six of its past seven games and now sports a 19-6 overall mark.
